Councils in San Anselmo and Fairfax approve gun control resolution, join national effort

The town councils of San Anselmo and Fairfax this week approved resolutions in support of tougher gun control that are being circulated throughout the country by a national coalition of mayors.

San Rafael Mayor Gary Phillips, who is the county's only elected mayor, previously signed the resolution without consulting the council members in his city. Councils in Marin's other eight municipalities are expected to consider the resolution soon.

Mayors Against Illegal Guns was founded in 2006 by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and has become more vocal after the massacre of grade school children in Newtown, Conn. on Dec. 14.

The resolution pledges its signers to work to advance the following agenda:

 Punish — to the maximum extent of the law — criminals who possess, use, and traffic in illegal guns.

 Target and hold accountable irresponsible gun dealers who break the law by knowingly selling guns to straw purchasers.

 Oppose all federal efforts to restrict cities' right to access, use, and share trace data or to interfere with the ability of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to combat illegal gun trafficking.

 Work to develop and use technologies that aid in the detection and tracing of illegal guns.

 Support all local, state and federal legislation that targets illegal guns; coordinate legislative enforcement and litigation strategies; and share information and best practices.

 Invite other cities to join in this national effort

The Fairfax Town Council voted 3-2 Thursday night to adopt the resolution after making a few changes to it. Council members Pam Hartwell-Herrero and Ryan O'Neil cast dissenting votes. The Fairfax council chose to withhold its support of sharing trace data due to privacy concerns, and stated its interest in developing a local measure boosting gun control.

O'Neil said he voted no because he didn't have enough information about the provisions he was being asked to endorse. "There were a lot of things in there that I didn't completely understand," O'Neil said. "Of course, I'm against illegal guns."

The San Anselmo Town Council voted 3-1 Tuesday night, with Councilman Ford Greene absent, to adopt the resolution. Councilman Tom McInerney abstained.

McInerney said he had two reasons for not supporting the resolution. First, he said, "I don't think local town councils should be spending time working on matters that aren't really related to our towns' operations."

Second, he said, "I just didn't think it was strong enough. If it had been addressed to something we could do locally, or even in California, it would have been something I probably would have been able to support."